A JUNIOR rugby team are cashing in on trash, hosting barbecues and running raffles to take them to Argentina.
Redlands Rugby Union Club coach Brendon Winslow said the group were doing everything they could to raise $116,000 needed to take them there in September.
He said the funds would be used to take the 23-strong team of under 15 boys on a trip of lifetime to Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires.
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The boys would be billeted to Argentinian homes and play up to four games with different clubs there.
“We need to raise a phenomenal amount of money to make the trip as affordable as possible for the boys and their families,” he said.
“It is being sold as a cultural and rugby tour as the boys will experience heaps more than just playing a few games of rugby.”
But rather than just accepting cash, Mr Winslow said the boys were working hard to raise the funds.
One boy, Cameron, had begun practicing his gardening skills so he could raise money through yard tidying services.
Another, Dilan, had set out to collect 45,000 used cans, cartons and bottles from Redlands homes to pay his way.
Every container collected would be exchanged for 10 cents via the Containers for Change scheme.
A tour fund account – ID C10003404 – had been set up with the scheme so anyone could deposit old recyclable containers on the team’s behalf.
Mr Winslow said sponsors could also help.
The tour’s organising committee had set up social media accounts and a website.
The pages would document the boys’ fundraising journey and adventures in Argentina.
Sponsors could advertise on all sites, in newsletters and on team videos posted on YouTube.
Advertising on the boys’ team uniforms, including jerseys, shirts and kit bags, could also be secured.
Mr Winslow said spots for boys on the tour were still available.
He said parents could contact him if their boy wanted to play a season of rugby in the Redlands and then go on the trip.
“We will be representing the Redlands and doing so with pride in Buenos Aires and surrounds,” he said.
Redlands Rugby Union Club, known as Muddies, is at Birkdale’s Judy Holt Park.
For more information, visit the Muddies2Argentina website or their Facebook page.
